Finally
by rawshark
Summary: And baby makes...five? In Shrek's own words: "Finally." Set near the end of Shrek the Third. One-shot. Fluff/WAFF.


"You can exhale, you know."

Fiona giggled softly as it took Shrek a moment to process what she'd said. He quickly looked up at her, shortly broken from his trance.

"Breathe. Remember?" No amount of fatigue could dull the playful glint in her eyes. If she was in any pain, it didn't show. She shifted her legs under their bed's ample sheets, and leaned back into the mountain of propped-up pillows.

"Oh, aye, how could I forget?" No wonder he was beginning to feel lightheaded. His eyes fell on the two baby boys in his wife's arms, before settling on the little girl in his own. Shrek finally exhaled a deep and content sigh. The newborn wriggled her nose, eyes still closed, and an arm shot out of the bundled blanket. She reflexively grabbed Shrek's finger, or what little she could - her hand barely covered the tip of his massive digit.

"Well g'mornin' to you too, little one." The newborn opened her eyes slightly, and blinked sleepily up at her father, as if in response. Shrek nearly gasped, and smiled a toothy, genuine smile, completely enraptured again. They were barely larger than his open hand, to his utter amazement. He'd read so in all the books Fiona had foisted upon him, along with a plethora of other information that he could have gone without ever knowing, but no amount of reading could have prepared him for the real thing. Each and every thing they did amazed him. He had never before been so happy and so terrified, all at once.

He again looked at Fiona, but she too was captivated by their sons, who had begun to squirm as well.

"Don't kick your brother, Farkle. Set a good example." She knelt her head and kissed his cheek, during which he managed to grasp a lock of her disheveled hair. Farkle jerked his legs again, disturbing his brother.

Shrek smirked and whispered, "Lookit the boys fightin' over there, Felicia. D'ya think they maybe need ta' be separated?" He scooted his chair closer to the bed and gently released Farkle's grip, allowing Fiona to sit back up.

"Fergus can defend himself just fine, can't you, baby?" She kissed the top of his head and rubbed noses, and his stray hand touched her face haphazardly.

"Oh aye, but I do think Felicia could take BOTH'em at once, wouldn't ye say? Like mother, like daughter?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Fiona met Shrek's gaze. "Well, I won't argue with you there," she said with the same smirk. They looked at each other a moment, and then shared a kiss.

The babies continued to fuss, and Shrek was growing uneasy, despite his best effort to hide it. Fiona began softly humming a familiar tune - three notes up, three back down - the same tune she'd sung all the months past. Gradually, each infant grew calm, and one by one their heads rested against their parents' chests. Fiona laid back deeper into the pillows, still humming. She watched her husband - there was a new gentleness about him she'd never seen. He stroked Felicia's cheek lightly with him thumb, and followed her arm down to her hand, placing his finger in its grasp again. She was sure he was unaware of being watched. Fiona felt her eyes begin the well, and her voice almost caught as she continued the soothing melody.

A balmy breeze rustled the curtains of the bedroom window, and the first light of day illuminated the thin linen. Carefully, Shrek peaked through the curtains just in time to see the first rays of sunrise coming over the swamp. In the back of his mind, he knew that it would not be long before Donkey, Dragon and their children, and Puss would be knocking down their door, as well as the Queen in response to their United Pigeon Service overnight delivery message. He would savor this once-in-a-lifetime moment for all he could get, and maybe a little more.

Fiona's tempo became gradually slower as she neared the song's end. As she hummed the final note, she again met Shrek's gaze, and together they looked down at their new family. She laid back in complete relaxation, and both of them basked in the rare, pure silence.

That is, until-

"Shrek! HEY, SHREK! WE'RE HEEEE-EEERE!" That all-too-familiar holler shattered the early morning peace, awaking the various wildlife and followed by a chorus of little voices, deep growls, and Spanish exclamations.

And, last but not least, three brand-new sets of lungs, all set off at full volume.

The new parents expelled what air was left in their lungs and looked at each other, no words needing to be said. Life in the swamp was finally getting back normal, for better or for worse.

**THE END**

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**A/N: For the huge deal they made about the babies in _Shrek the Third_, they sure weren't featured much. Though I know it was because it was a movie aimed at kids so they wanted to make it as simple as possible, I always wished they'd spent a little more time on Fiona's pregnancy, or just _something_ else in addition to that one final scene. Thank you for reading, enjoy and please R&R!**

**Edited 1/21/13**


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